The name of God
I've been reading "Simply Christian - Why Christianity Makes Sense" by N. T. Wright. It has been compared to C. S. Lewis's "Mere Christianity". I've been reflecting on what I read this morning...
"At some point along the way - it's hard to be sure historically when exactly this happened - the ancient Israelites came to know their God by a special name.
This name was regarded as so special, so holy, that by the time of Jesus, and perhaps for some centuries before that, they were not allowed to say it out loud. (One exception was made: the high priest, once a year, would pronounce God's special name n a place called the Holy of Holies at the heart of the temple.) Since Hebrew script only used consonants, we can't even be sure how the name was meant to be pronounced: the consonants are YHWH, and the best guess we have at how they were pronounced is "Yahweh." Orthodox Jews to this day won't speak this name; they often refer to God simply as "the Name," HaShem. Neither will they write it. Sometimes they write even the generic word "God" as "G-d," to make the same point.
Like most ancient names, YHWH had a meaning. It seems to have meant "I am who I am," or "I will be who I will be." This God, the name suggests, can't be defined in terms of anything or anyone else..."
Now this was not new to me - and probably isn't new to you. But I was deeply convicted reading this. I was convicted b/c often I am found guilty of being frustrated, even angry at God from time to time. In my frustration, I lose sight of His holiness and the fact that "He is who He is," and "He will be who He will be."
Who am I to challenge God and the way He chooses to work in my life or the lives of those around me? Who am I to think I have any right to be frustrated or angry at Him? Shame on me! Shame on me when I don't bend my knee in worship of the One Who Is ... regardless of what He chooses to do or not do in my life! Shame on me when I utter "the Name" in any other attitude but humble, reverent worship!
"At some point along the way - it's hard to be sure historically when exactly this happened - the ancient Israelites came to know their God by a special name.
This name was regarded as so special, so holy, that by the time of Jesus, and perhaps for some centuries before that, they were not allowed to say it out loud. (One exception was made: the high priest, once a year, would pronounce God's special name n a place called the Holy of Holies at the heart of the temple.) Since Hebrew script only used consonants, we can't even be sure how the name was meant to be pronounced: the consonants are YHWH, and the best guess we have at how they were pronounced is "Yahweh." Orthodox Jews to this day won't speak this name; they often refer to God simply as "the Name," HaShem. Neither will they write it. Sometimes they write even the generic word "God" as "G-d," to make the same point.
Like most ancient names, YHWH had a meaning. It seems to have meant "I am who I am," or "I will be who I will be." This God, the name suggests, can't be defined in terms of anything or anyone else..."
Now this was not new to me - and probably isn't new to you. But I was deeply convicted reading this. I was convicted b/c often I am found guilty of being frustrated, even angry at God from time to time. In my frustration, I lose sight of His holiness and the fact that "He is who He is," and "He will be who He will be."
Who am I to challenge God and the way He chooses to work in my life or the lives of those around me? Who am I to think I have any right to be frustrated or angry at Him? Shame on me! Shame on me when I don't bend my knee in worship of the One Who Is ... regardless of what He chooses to do or not do in my life! Shame on me when I utter "the Name" in any other attitude but humble, reverent worship!
posted by Lisa Stucky at 2:34 PM
1 Comments:
Beautifully said!
Thank you for passing on your excellent reading material!
Reminds me of Isaiah 55:8-9.
We are not all knowing and all powerful, yet we tend to question God's work in our lives....so bold of us when we really stop to think about it!
He is deserving of the purest reverence we can summons.
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